


The Knight, The Wizard, and The Princess (Plus Some Extra Assholes, I Guess)

by Never_Eat_Sour_Wheat



Category: Half-Life
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Arranged Marriage, Bar fights, Black Mesa Sweet Voice, Fairies, Fairy Tale Elements, Father-Son Relationship, Gender non-conformity, Knights - Freeform, Magic, Memory Alteration, Memory Loss, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Out of Character, Potions, Romance, Royalty, Sorry if you like him, Swordfighting, hopefully not too much though, it's Benrey and Forzen but I didn't tag it cuz they don't like each other, we hate forzen in this household btw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-17 21:21:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29598921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Never_Eat_Sour_Wheat/pseuds/Never_Eat_Sour_Wheat
Summary: Princess Benrey (yeah, he's a princess, what's it to you?) is facing an arranged marriage that not even his parents really wanted for him (thanks for that, assholes), but he's been in love with his childhood-best-friend-turned-royal-wizard for years now. Another familiar face returns to the castle around the same time as Benrey's betrothed, but he doesn't seem to have a clue who Benrey (or Tommy) are anymore. And... Benrey may have gotten off on the wrong foot. Hopefully, he and Tommy can fix all this before his wedding in only a few months.It's less of a question of what could possibly go wrong, and more of a question of what could possibly goright?
Relationships: Benrey/Gordon Freeman, Benrey/Tommy Coolatta, Benrey/Tommy Coolatta/Gordon Freeman, Bubby/Dr. Coomer (Half-Life), Gordon Freeman & Joshua Freeman, Tommy Coolatta & Darnold, Tommy Coolatta & Sunkist, Tommy Coolatta & The G-Man
Comments: 16
Kudos: 30





	1. Why Do Heels Break So Damn Easily?!?

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't really dabbled in fantasy in a long time, so hopefully this isn't too awful! The association that happened here was "what if the HEV suit was a suit of armor" and now we're here. When I originally called Benrey a princess, I was just using the word to try and explain that he was kind of a passive party in the whole royalty thing, but it just kinda... stuck! Hopefully this isn't too awful of a read! I hope you enjoy it!

“S-So… this is the same guy from, um… from when we were little?” The taller figure asked. In the dark lighting of the outer hallway, it was hard to make out who exactly was walking through the castle grounds. “That seems… unwise.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t have much of a choice,” the shorter figure said. It was holding up its large ball gown, its heels clacking against the cobblestones. “Why don’t we have even flooring by now? Walking in these sucks ass when everything’s made of stones.”

“N-No one asked you to wear heels,” the taller figure reminded the shorter one.

“And look like a slob in front of my husband to be? I’d fucking love to. But the old asshole would throw a fit.” The shorter figure tripped slightly, and the taller one righted them. “Thanks.”

“My p-pleasure! But, um… which old asshole?” The taller figure asked.

“Take your pick,” the shorter one huffed.

“I don’t think that, uh… th-the ‘queen’ would m-mind much.” Both of them giggled together, and the shorter one took the taller one’s hand as they reached a parting in the outer hall. “Oh! Are we, uh… meeting him in the garden?”

“No,” the shorter figure replied. It led the taller one through the muddy grass out to a small, but secluded, garden. “I just didn’t get to dance with you at the ball.”

“We don’t h-have time to dance,” the taller figure said, but it was already holding its hand up for the shorter to twirl under. “We were supposed to b-be there almost a, um… almost half an hour ago.”

“Spoil sport,” the shorter figure huffed. The two of them danced together for another few moments, before the taller knelt down to catch the other’s lips in a kiss. “Do I have to go?” The shorter figure asked, sounding genuine when it normally would have whined.

“I’m afraid you d-do,” the taller one said. “But, um… I think th-things will work out!”

“You always say that,” the shorter figure said fondly. “Alright, let's go meet the asshole."

“W-We can make fun of him together later,” the taller one said as it led the shorter one back to the castle. “Beside your, um… your shoes are too muddy to dance n-now.”

“They’ll just make you clean it off,” the shorter one said.

“They can try!” The taller said before it took off down the outer hall. “A-And if we go fast enough, o-one of your heels might just break!”

The two of them laughed as they made their way back into the main castle, and, sure enough, one of the shorter figure’s heels broke before it could meet with its betrothed.

* * *

“Oh thank god,” Benrey breathed as he closed the large wooden behind him. “Tommy? Are you here?”

“Up h-here, your majesty!” A voice called from further up the tower. Benrey looked over the spiral staircase, then his heels, and sighed heavily. “I just cleaned, you’ll b-be fine without your shoes!”

“You’re a lifesaver,” Benrey said. He kicked his heels off and grinned when one broke as it hit the stone walls, before he raced up the stairs. No ball gowns today, just an easy to walk in dress. He grinned when he reached the top of the room in the tower and lept onto Tommy’s back. “Hey!”

“C-Careful! I could be doing something dangerous!” The royal wizard said. Still, he grabbed Benrey’s waist to pull him off of his back and towards his front. “How is y-your, uh… your fiance?”

“He fucking sucks,” Benrey replied. He dropped from Tommy’s arms and nearly landed in the fairy circle that had been carefully grown from the cracks in the stone. Neither of them batted an eye. “He keeps talking about, uh… war and shit. Which, like, sure, okay, the whole reason we’re getting married is cuz you’ve got a good army and shit, but… it’s not hot, dude. Say something interesting or shut the fuck up, y’know?”

“What would you, um… even want him to say?” Tommy asked. He turned away from the fairy circle to watch as Benrey walked to the window of the tower.

“I dunno. How he got some of his scars?” Benrey shrugged.

“That would, uh, p-probably be more stories about… war,” Tommy reminded him.

“Nah. The coolest scars happen in the dumbest ways,” Benrey argued. Tommy just chuckled and came up behind him to wrap his arms around his waist. Benrey sighed contently and leaned against his chest. “Hey… you think you can stop the wedding?”

Tommy sighed and buried his face in Benrey’s hair. “We’ve t-talked about this,” he said. “There’s nothing I can do.”

“Nothing? Nothing at all?” Benrey asked. Tommy shook his head. “That fucking blows.”

“I’m still sure that, um… things will work out,” Tommy assured him.

“Is that, like… optimism sure, or magic sure?” Benrey asked. Tommy shrugged. “Jeez, you’re helpful.”

“Oh, h-hush,” Tommy said. He leaned down to kiss Benrey’s cheek, but the two of them jumped apart when the door below opened.

“Calm down, it’s me,” a familiar voice called up to them.

“Darnold!” Tommy waved to his business partner, who grinned as he waved back. “Did you get the, uh… the thing?”

“Of course! I’m never late with this, you know that,” Darnold replied. He chuckled and pointed towards Benrey’s discarded shoes. “Still a no go on those?”

“Heels suck ass,” Benrey replied. He took Tommy’s hand as Darnold climbed up the stairs. “The only downside of being a princess…”

“You’re always complaining!” Tommy said.

“Yeah, about being royalty! The shoes are it about, uh… princesshood,” Benrey said. “Is that a word?”

“I think you should be more worried about this stuff than about words,” Darnold said. He held up two small vials as he reached the top of the stairs. “I’m still working on the flavors.”

“I h-have full confidence in you!” Tommy said as he took the vial with the yellow liquid in it from Darnold.

“I don’t, but I don’t have a choice,” Benrey said as he took the other. The two of them clinked the vials together, before they downed the liquid inside. Benrey smacked his lips, before he grinned. “Oh shit. I should be more confident in you.”

“Perfect!” Tommy said. Darnold beamed at the two of them. “T-Tastes exactly like, uh, oranges!”

“I’m surprised I made yours right, Benrey,” Darnold said. “I still don’t even know what flavor you want.”

“The Forbidden Drink…” Benrey said, still grinning. 

“You should, um… probably get going,” Tommy said to Benrey. Benrey whined, but Tommy took his hand and kissed his knuckles. “I’ll see you soon, o-okay?”

“Promise?”

“Of course.” Tommy leaned down to give Benrey a proper kiss, but the two of them jumped apart again when the door opened for a third time.

“Your presence is requested in the throne room, your majesty,” a guard said.

Benrey rolled his eyes, but he hopped on the handrail of the staircase and slid down it. He landed less than gracefully and barreled into the guard. “Whoops,” he said as he stood back up. “Oh no… I think my heels broke…” His voice was monotone as he held up the heels that should have still been sitting on the floor by the wall. “I guess you’ll have to carry me…”

“Um…” The guard looked visibly uncomfortable, so Benrey sighed dramatically and pushed past him to start down the hallway. “Oh! And I have a message for you, too, wizard!” Benrey stopped in the hallway to listen.

“What’s that?” Tommy asked.

“The new king-”

“Not yet,” Benrey butted in.

“...the new king has asked that you and your assistant-”

“Business partner!” Tommy and Darnold said at the same time.

“Look, you two aren’t supposed to be without supervision for a month, okay?” The guard shouted in frustration. 

“What?!?” Tommy yelped. “That’s ridiculous!”

“I’ll talk to him,” Benrey said, already pushing up the sleeves of his dress.

“Please don’t punch him again…” The guard said as Benrey stormed down the stairs towards the throne room.

* * *

The doors to the throne room hit the walls as they were thrown open, making everyone inside jump. Advisors and royalty alike turned to see a furious princess standing in the doorway. “Does someone want to explain to me why a man who doesn’t even live in my kingdom is giving out orders?” Benrey asked, his gaze dark.

“Your majesty, as per the outlines of your engagement, you have to-”

“I don’t have to do shit!” Benrey shouted, cutting off one of the advisors from the other kingdom. “He’s not king until we get married, and even then he’s not going to go around giving out orders without any input from me!”

“Benrey, perhaps you should calm yourself,” one of his own advisors suggested, his gaze hardened with having to deal with Benrey for twenty odd years. Benrey crossed his arms and glared at his advisor, but stepped farther into the room for a calmer discussion. “I’m sure that whatever order Prince Forzen gave was for the better. He’s very experienced with running an army, after all.”

“What, exactly, do my wizards have to do with the army?” Benrey asked. His advisor balked, and cleared his throat to speak again, but Benrey cut him off again. “Are you saying that he did something with my army too?”

“Since when do you care about that stuff?” The advisor asked.

Benrey was quiet for a moment, thinking, before he shrugged. “Okay, yeah, I don’t give a shit about that,” he relented, “but ordering my wizards to be under supervision for a month? That I care about.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault that the tall one is the reason you were late to meet me,” a voice said from the door. Benrey turned sharply, and looked his fiance over. Forzen was attractive, by most people’s standards. Strong, rugged, an all white smile, and a man full of stories to tell. The problem was, he acted like a petulant child.

Which, okay, so did Benrey, but when he did it, it was charming!

“Tommy and I made it to you as quickly as we could,” Benrey said. At the time he had complained about “looking his best” for Forzen, but now he was glad that Tommy had taken the time to magic away the mud, since it definitely would’ve given away the fact that they took a lot longer than they should have. “I was so fast that my heel broke. Which these have too.” Benrey held up his broken shoes and his advisor sighed loudly. “Seriously, can I not wear boots or something? I’ll take flats at this point.”

“It isn’t very ladylike,” Forzen’s advisor said.

“Are you guys still on that?” Benrey asked. “I’m not a girl.”

“But you’re a princess,” Forzen said, confused.

“Yeah, but I’m not a girl,” Benrey replied in a huff. “That’s not what we’re talking about.” He sighed over dramatically. “C’mon, man… why’re you doing this?” It was practically a whine, and Benrey pretended that he didn’t see his advisor pinching the bridge of his nose. Forzen crossed his arms, looked away, and mumbled something. “Huh?” 

“He’s just a jerk,” Forzen said, louder this time.

“Dude, you don’t even know Tommy. He’s, like… the biggest ray of sunshine ever,” Benrey replied. “But that doesn’t even matter! You’re not even king or anything yet! You can’t go around ordering my people just cuz you feel like it!” 

“Whatever,” Forzen huffed, before he stormed out of the throne room.

“This kingdom is doomed,” Benrey’s advisor mumbled. Benrey turned to stick his tongue out at him, before he left the room in a huff as well.

* * *

The door to the local bar opened easily, and Benrey pulled his hood up higher. He liked to pretend that nobody here knew it was him that was the stranger in the red cloak who came into the bar once a week. Everyone knew, but people liked him enough to leave him alone, even the more bold ones.

Especially since the two most bold people in the bar were the people he was coming to see.

“You look pissed,” Bubby commented as Benrey slid into the barstool next to him.

“Jee, I wonder why,” Benrey snapped.

“Alright, fuck, no need to be an asshole about it,” Bubby said. “He still sucks, huh?”

“You knew he sucked from the beginning?” Benrey asked as he pulled his hood down. It was annoying to keep up while he talked, and people already knew it was him. Pretending was only fun for so long.

“Kid, all royalty sucks,” Bubby said.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Benrey replied. He sighed, then whined, and rested his cheek on the bar. “I hate thiiiiiiiiiiiis.”

“You can always kill him in his sleep,” Bubby suggested.

“Tempting,” Benrey replied. “Where’s Coomer?”

“Playing poker.” Bubby gestured to the small poker table in the corner, and, sure enough, Coomer was sitting at the table. He was surrounded by chips, more than there were in the pot, and he had a huge grin on his face. Both Bubby and Benrey looked on fondly. “I don’t think most people think of a huge smile as a good poker face, but if you never do anything else, I guess it works.”

Benrey shrugged. He was quiet for a moment, his glance flicking back and forth between Bubby and Coomer. “Did you really know he was going to suck? Even back then?”

Bubby sighed heavily. “Look, it was him or someone else who sucked. He at least had promising stuff to offer us.”

“Why couldn’t I run this place on my own?” Benrey asked.

“Are you kidding? This kingdom would be demolished in a day!” Bubby said.

“I’m not that bad,” Benrey mumbled.

Bubby softened slightly and reached out to squeeze Benrey’s shoulder. “You’re a good kid, but you’re not a good ruler,” he said, “but people like you. People don’t like Forzen. He’ll handle all the boring shit while you rub elbows with the right people.”

“The ‘right’ people don’t like me,” Benrey said.

“Join the club,” Bubby replied with a shrug.

“This totally blows!” Benrey yelled, frustrated.

“Ah! Hello, Benrey!” Coomer called from the poker table. “Just one moment, and I’ll be with you!”

Benrey gave Coomer a halfhearted wave back, and Bubby chuckled. “Look on the bright side,” Bubby said, “Tommy’s been back for… how long now?”

“Almost three years,” Benrey replied. He sighed and opened his mouth, only to shut it again, so quickly that his teeth clicked together. He cleared his throat, before he tried again. “Our two year anniversary is only a month away.”

“Ah, young love!” Coomer said as he wandered over to the two of them at the bar. His pockets looked quite a bit heavier, and Benrey watched with smug satisfaction as the people he’d been playing against left the bar downtrodden. “Do you have plans?”

“I wish,” Benrey said. “I’ve gotta be spending time with my fiance, so I can’t take my boyfriend anywhere nice. And, get this! Forzen said that Tommy had to be under supervision for a whole month!” He paused. “And Darnold too. That sucks too, he’s always the best to play chess with.”

“You’re still playing that?” Coomer asked. “I’ve always considered it a waste of time!”

“Chess is fun!” Both Benrey and Bubby objected. “That’s not the point, though. The point is that he’s already trying to make all these changes and he can’t even do it yet. I dunno what I’m gonna do when he can.” Benrey sighed and rested his forehead against the bar. “This fucking blows.”

“There, there.” Coomer rubbed his back gently. “You’ll figure something out!”

“I raised you, didn’t I?” Bubby asked. “If a genius like me brought you up, you’re sure to think of something good!”

Benrey whined, but he sat up again. “I can just kill him in his sleep,” he said.

“That was my idea!” Bubby shouted.

“We’ll gladly take the fall, Benrey!” Coomer said. “We don’t mind skipping town for a few months!”

“It’ll be like a third honeymoon,” Bubby said.

“You guys had a second one?” Benrey asked.

“Oh yes… it was lovely…” Coomer said. Bubby smiled fondly at him, and Benrey stuck his tongue out. “But, truely, Benrey, if you’d like to pin his murder on us, we wouldn’t mind!”

“It’d certainly be believable,” Bubby commented.

“Thank you, but I’ll figure something else out,” Benrey said. “It has to be more dramatic than everyone waking up and him being dead.”

“You could poison him at a diner?” Coomer suggested.

“Too cliche,” Benrey said.

“A horse riding ‘accident’?” Bubby tried.

“Too many variables,” Benrey said. “Plus I’m not gonna traumatize a horse.”

“I don’t think you would traumatize the horse so much as take a weight off its shoulders,” Bubby said.

“Or its back!” Coomer added.

Benrey cracked a small smile. “I’ll figure it out,” he said. “Thanks.” He kissed both of them on the cheek, and Bubby ruffled his hair, while Coomer returned the favor. “If you guys ever want to take back the throne…”

“Not in this lifetime,” Bubby said. “Good luck with ditching it on some poor loser, though!”

“Goodbye, Benrey!” Coomer called as Benrey turned to leave the bar. As he exited, several people ran into it, almost knocking him over. He realized that a lot of them were the people that had left after Coomer’s card game a while ago, and when Coomer yelled, “Have at thee!” from inside, followed by one being thrown out the window, he couldn’t help grinning.

His parents sure knew how to have a good time.

* * *

Walking through the castle ground to try and get back to his rooms undisturbed led Benrey through some strange places. Not only was Forzen here, but many of his advisors, knights, and other court members were, and avoiding them may have been easy, since they all dressed so similarly, but it did require a bit of ducking into buildings that Benrey had either forgotten about or simply hadn’t been into in a very long time.

Which, apparently, included the stables.

When Benrey was younger, he would come to the stables to play, but he didn’t have much of a reason to go there now. He hardly ever rode his horse, and he wasn’t going to spend his time with them. He liked them alright, but he had Tommy’s tower, or Tommy’s chambers, or his own chambers (usually with Tommy), or the quiet gardens that he and Tommy would walk through, or… well. Benrey had a lot of places to hang out, and most of them involved Tommy. But the stables weren’t so bad, just not somewhere he went often.

“Excuse me, miss?” Benrey jumped at the young voice and turned around quickly. A boy was standing behind him, holding a large shovel. “I’m sorry, but I need to get to that horse.”

“Oh, shit, okay,” Benrey said. He stepped out of the way of the horse’s stall, and the boy sighed as he opened it and stepped inside. “Are you scooping poop?”

“Yeah…” The boy replied, sounding forlorn. Benrey couldn’t blame him. “It’s, uh…” The boy concentrated for a moment, like he was trying to remember something, and Benrey felt his breath leave his chest suddenly. The boy reminded him of someone he knew a very long time ago… “It’s rule number four of being a squire.”

“Picking up poop?” Benrey asked. The boy shrugged. “That rule sucks.”

“Almost all of the rules suck,” the boy complained. “But if I do it all, I get to be a knight, just like my dad!”

“Nice,” Benrey commented. “What’s your name, kid?”

“Joshua, and I’m not a kid! I’m thirteen!” The boy, Joshua, replied. “You’re royalty, right?”

“In a sense,” Benrey replied.

“What does that mean?” 

“It means I don’t wanna tell you.” Benrey smiled as Joshua giggled. “Why?”

“Cuz I’m not supposed to scoop poop when you guys are around,” Joshua said.

“Eh, I don’t care,” Benrey said with a shrug. “Just don’t get any on me.”

“Well, I wouldn’t on purpose!” Joshua replied. 

Benrey wandered around the stable for a moment, looking over various different horses, and stopping long enough by his own (named Josh, oddly enough) to give him a few pats. When he turned back to Joshua (the human, not the horse), he was exiting the stall and putting the shovel back with the others. “What his name?” Benrey asked, gesturing to Joshua’s dad’s horse.

“We just call him SB,” Joshua told him.

“What’s it short for?” Benrey asked.

“Do you really wanna know?” Joshua looked surprisingly serious, and Benrey nodded. Whatever it was, it had to be good. “Sewage Boy.”

Benrey was quiet for a moment, before he cackled. Joshua joined his laughter, and it took the two of them a while to calm down. “Who names their horse Sewage Boy?” Benrey asked.

“My dad!” Joshua said. “He’s going to be in the tournament tomorrow! You should come!”

“I have to be there, kid,” Benrey replied. He’d been avoiding thinking about the tournament all day, but he had to face it at some point, so he might as well now. “Comes with being all fancy and powerful and stuff.”

“Oh,” Joshua said, “well… can you cheer for my dad?”

“Tell you what,” Benrey said, “I’ll shout real loud for Sewage Boy, and if your dad happens to win… good for him.”

“Deal!” Joshua said, and when he grinned at Benrey he felt like the air left his lungs again. He really did look like someone Benrey used to know. “I have to go find my dad now, but it was great talking to you, miss!” Joshua waved as he ran out of the stables.

“It’s mister!” Benrey called after him, and he just barely heard Joshua’s “sorry!” before he disappeared. Benrey chuckled and shook his head. “Good kid,” he mumbled to himself. “Hope his dad doesn’t die tomorrow.” He carefully ducked out of the stables again, and made a break for the gardens when he saw some of Forzen’s knights making their way towards him.

“Fucking heels!” He shouted when one of his got stuck in the mud.


	2. Can I See Some Identification, Please?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Learning a bit more about magic, Benrey and Forzen being at each other's throats, and Gordon making an appearance!!! Plus a little taste at backstory >:3 I hope you all enjoy this!!!

“Can you at least pretend to be excited?” Forzen mumbled angrily in Benrey’s general direction.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” Benrey asked. “You’re going to have to SPEAK UP!” He yelled the last two words, making everyone in their party jump. “Oh shit, sorry, was I too loud?” Benrey asked mockingly. His advisor behind him sighed from atop his own horse, and Benrey grinned smugly as he spurred Josh on faster. He’d hoped to see the human Josh(ua) at the stables that morning, but he (and Sewage Boy) were already at the tournament grounds. Unfortunately, so was Tommy, since he’d been roped into helping set up. Benrey had convinced Forzen to lift his need for supervision (well, he had more demanded that the order be lifted, but the point was Tommy could come and go as he pleased). So now Benrey was stuck riding with him and his fiance’s parties.

“I thought you liked tournaments,” Forzen said, speaking fully again.

“Who told you that?” Benrey asked. It was correct, but he didn’t know who’d told Forzen.

“Your advisor.” Forzen jerked his head behind them, and Benrey turned to glare at the old man. “Point is, why’re you so pissy?”

“Cuz I don’t wanna go today,” Benrey replied. “You got a problem with that?”

“You’re so annoying,” Forzen mumbled.

“SPEAK UP!!!” Benrey yelled.

“Okay, neither of you are allowed to talk anymore!” Benrey’s advisor said from behind them.

“Fine by me!” Both Benrey and Forzen said at the same time. 

And so, the rest of the ride to the tournament was silent. Well, between the two of them, at least. As they got closer to the large field, the noise from people around them got louder and louder. People bowed to them, and although Forzen seemed to be enjoying it, Benrey shouted various friendly things to people, some of them personal. Benrey liked to think he knew a lot of people in his kingdom, and they all seemed to like that too. He maybe wasn’t the most friendly guy, but he knew how to charm people, and that would certainly do. When they reached the beginning of their presentation, Benrey pointedly ignored Forzen’s hand that he offered to help him off of his horse. Instead, Benrey slid off of Josh himself, and walked right past Forzen to start conversations with some of the other members of his court. He could feel multiple sets of eyes glaring at his back, and he just barely held off flipping off everyone behind him. Still, he had to go back to Forzen’s side as the precession started making their way to the arena.

“Can you at least try and have fun?” Forzen asked Benrey, finally speaking at a normal volume.

“Oh, I’m gonna have fun,” Benrey replied, “you’re just not gonna be part of it.”

“Seriously, what is your issue with me?” Forzen asked. Benrey shrugged, before he crossed his arms and looked in the other direction. “You’re such a child,” Forzen whined.

“Shut up and look presentable,” Benrey hissed at him. He, begrudgingly, took Forzen’s arm, although he didn’t miss the way that he wasn’t the only one that flinched at the contact. That was… interesting. 

Benrey scanned the seating around the arena, looking for anyone he could potentially find reprise in. Tommy wasn’t at his side, so he must have still been busy somewhere. Darnold gave him a small wave when Benrey’s eyes landed on him, and he waved back. He kept an eye out for Bubby and Coomer, but he wasn’t counting too much on seeing them. They were here, for sure, but they tended to avoid the royal guards for fairly obvious reasons, so it wasn’t likely they’d be anywhere near Benrey. He sighed heavily and sank down in the wooden throne on the royal stand. This was going to blow…

“G-Good morning, your majesties!” Tommy said with a grin as he appeared on the edge of the stand. He definitely hadn’t walked up the stairs, and Benrey grinned when Forzen jumped. “B-B-Benrey, will I be, um… sitting with you t-today?”

“Of course,” Benrey replied, “I’d be bored out of my mind without you.”

“Gee, thanks,” Forzen mumbled, before shouting, “okay, I’ll speak up!” when Benrey took in a deep breath through his mouth. Tommy stifled laughter as he sat on Benrey’s right. “So, uh… you’ve got a royal wizard, huh?” Forzen asked. He looked disinterested, but Benrey could tell that there was a little bit of intrigue in him.

“Yup,” Benrey said, popping the p in the word. “Tommy’s been around for… three years?” Tommy nodded when Benrey looked at him questioningly. Benrey knew exactly how long Tommy had been in his position, down to the day, but feigning ignorance was important in moments like this. “He’s pretty good.”

“I sh-should hope so! I’ve been, um… I’ve been training m-my entire life!” Tommy said proudly.

“Where’d you train?” Forzen asked, leaning against his arm rest to get closer to the two of them. Benrey leaned away from him, even though he knew that he wasn’t who Forzen was interested in at the moment.

“My father’s m-magically inclined as well,” Tommy answered. “He’s b-been teaching me magic since… for as long as I can remember!” As if to prove his point, Tommy held his right hand out flat, and a yellow dahlia began to bloom from the middle of his palm. “F-For you!” He gently removed it from his palm with his other hand and held the flower out to Benrey, who was already blushing. “Dahlias represent c-commitment between two people, f-for example, a marriage!” Forzen was too busy studying the magically made flower to notice Tommy wink at Benrey.

“What else can you do?” Forzen asked, finally looking up from the flower.

“All sorts of th-things!” Tommy replied. “I’m particularly, um… particularly good at summoning things, b-but I can also transform s-something into something else!”

“Can you do that to humans?” Forzen asked.

“Oh, no, I’m afraid not,” Tommy said, shaking his head. “Only potions can do that, and I’m no g-good at those. But! Um, I uh… I have a business p-partner who’s very good with, um… he’s excellent at brewing potions!”

“Darnold’s the best potion master our kingdom’s ever seen,” Benrey piped up. He had carefully tucked the dahlia behind his ear, and it was just barely visible from under his hood. “Tommy’s pretty much the best wizard we’ve ever had too.”

“You f-flatter me, your highness!” Tommy said. His wide grin was hiding his blush, but Forzen’s attention was pulled away by one of his advisors before he could notice anyway. Benrey rolled his eyes as he got up to stand at the edge of the stand and make a speech. He was already fully prepared to block the whole thing out. “Don’t worry, I’ll summarize,” Tommy whispered to him.

“Thank you,” Benrey whispered back. He sighed quietly and leaned even farther back in his throne. Considering how Forzen had just barely begun and everyone already looked bored, he was fully prepared to take a nap. But someone tugged on the bottom of his cloak and he jumped slightly. He turned behind him, and grinned at the two people standing behind the royal stand. “Hey,” he whispered.

“Hello, Benrey!” Coomer whispered to him. “You seem rather bored.”

“The opening parts are always boring,” Benrey whispered back. “What’re you guys doing here?”

“Just came to give you a message,” Bubby said. Benrey expected him to keep talking, or to hand him a piece of paper, but instead he held up a small boy.

“Joshua?” Benrey asked quietly.

“Hi, sir!” Joshua replied. “Oh! Uh… hi, your majesty!” He corrected himself, and Benrey chuckled. “My dad said that, um… you shouldn’t cheer for his horse.”

“Why not?” Benrey asked.

“He says that it’s embarrassing to have someone cheering for his horse by name,” Joshua said. “I told him that he should’ve just named SB better, but he said that I should tell you not to cheer anyways.”

Benrey pretended to think it over for a moment, before he shook his head. “No can do, kid,” he said. “I made a promise to Sewage Boy, and I fully intend to keep it.”

Joshua bit his lip, but he nodded. “Okay,” he whispered, “but if my dad gets mad at me, you have to tell him to stop.”

“Done,” Benrey replied.

“Oh, shit, we gotta go!” Bubby whisper yelled. He set Joshua down, before grabbing Coomer’s hand and booking it. Joshua and Benrey watched as they left, only to see royal guards making their way around the back of the stands. Joshua waved to Benrey silently, before he went to talk to the guards. 

Which was excellent timing, because Tommy pulled on Benrey’s arm immediately after.

“They w-want you to say something,” he whispered.

Benrey turned to look out at the pit again, and saw that Forzen was gesturing to him, and that all eyes were on him. He stood up, smoothed out his skirt, and stepped forward. “I didn’t listen to a thing this fucker said,” he said, and he could practically hear his advisors hitting their heads against a wall, “but, uh… let's get some carnage going!” The crowd went into an uproar as Benrey turned to sit down again.

“Your majesty, you can’t just-”

“No one’s here to listen to speeches,” Benrey interrupted his advisor. “They’re here to see some fighting. Like… I dunno, watch some guy get his arm cut off or something. No one gives a fuck about… uh… what were you saying?” Benrey turned to Forzen.

“Some bullshit about how our kingdoms will be strong together,” he replied. “He wrote it.” He pointed to his own advisor, who was looking just as murderous as Benrey’s own.

“Can we have this discussion later?” Tommy asked. “There’s a tournament to watch, after all.” 

Benrey smirked as the others at the stand turned their attention to the arena in unison, their eyes slightly glazed over. “You couldn’t have made them drop the subject entirely?” He whispered to Tommy.

“N-No, I’m sorry,” Tommy whispered back. “Just, um… try to enjoy yourself, your majesty!”

And Benrey certainly did. He’d always liked tournaments, watching his knights cut down whoever decided to show up, or even each other, was always fun. Violence was… well… okay, yeah, violence was fun. The sparks flying off swords, or even people when a blow hit armor just right, was too interesting and danced behind Benrey’s eyes more than he’d ever care to admit. He watched as knights, both from his kingdom and from Forzen’s, battled each other. He mourned the loss of a potential jousting section, but the ground was just too uneven. The muddy state of it did make for some interesting melee battles though.

A new knight rode into the arena, and Benrey grinned when he recognized both the horse and the squire that ran onto the field to hand the knight his sword. The knight offered his hand to said squire, and Joshua squeezed it before he placed the sword in it. When he turned to go back to the stands, he grinned widely at Benrey, who grinned back. He watched as the knight charged at his adversaries, and laughed when he hit the ground quickly. Tommy tensed beside him, but he didn’t pay it much mind. Tommy had never liked violence quite as much as he did, although he wasn’t adverse to a little tussling now and then.

With the horse out of the arena, Benrey didn’t actually get a chance to cheer for Sewage Boy, and while he was upset by that, he was more focused on Joshua’s dad now. Getting knocked off his horse seemed to be a bit of a fluke, considering he was fighting tooth and nail against anyone he went up against, and winning quite easily.

“He’s one of yours, isn’t he?” Forzen asked Benrey, pointing to the knight. “Why the orange? I didn’t know that was a color of your kingdom.” 

“It’s not,” Benrey replied. “I thought he was with you.”

“He must be someone who was passing through…” Tommy mumbled, and Benrey turned to look at him now. There was something like recognition in his eyes, but Benrey didn’t have any idea what it possibly could have been about.

“I hope he sticks around,” Forzen said. “He’s good.”

“Yeah…” Tommy mumbled.

Benrey stared at him for a long moment, and realized that his eyes never left the knight, even though he must have realized that Benrey was looking. “Do you know him?” Benrey asked quietly.

“Something’s off…” Tommy mumbled.

“Dangerously so?” Benrey asked.

“No,” Tommy said with such certainty that Benrey knew that he didn’t need to ask any other questions. So, he turned his eyes back to the tournament that was under way.

The crowd was going insane now, the strange orange knight knocking down anyone in his way. People didn’t even have a name to cheer, but that didn’t stop them from doing so. The knight was even managing to get men off of their horses from the ground. Benrey glanced at Joshua, who was standing by the arena at the ready, and saw that he was biting his nails, almost like he was waiting for his dad’s luck to run out. Benrey glanced at Tommy, but he wasn’t muttering to himself, and his eyes hadn’t flashed yellow, so the knight was working off of pure skill. Soon, only the orange knight and one of Forzen’s many knights remained.

The orange knight seemed to be on the defensive, but Forzen was giving Benrey an in depth description of how he was actually in the lead. Something about him waiting for his opponent to tire out. Benrey wasn’t paying attention though, because Tommy had stood and was standing at the edge of the stand to watch from even closer. Only royalty were supposed to be seen so well from the stand, but no one disturbed Tommy. Benrey was so busy looking at him, that he didn’t notice the orange knight had won until people were screaming.

“Excellent work!” Forzen said as he stood. Joshua rushed into the arena and hugged his dad tightly. Benrey didn’t imagine it was comfortable with the armor on, but his dad hugged him back. Joshua handed off a rose, and took his dad’s sword as he left. “You’ve probably won a tournament before, if you’re fighting like that! So, you know how this goes. Pick someone to give that rose to, and make sure she’s a keeper.” The crowd laughed. “And please tell us your name! No one here could identify you.”

“Oh god,” Tommy mumbled, and Benrey realized that he must have identified the knight. He turned to look at Benrey, and his eyes were wide as dinner plates.

The knight removed his helmet, and Benrey knew he mirrored Tommy’s expression.

“My name is Sir Freeman,” he said, “and I’d like to dedicate this fight and this rose to the princess, in hopes that your wedding is bountiful and joyous.” He stepped to the edge of the arena and held the rose up to the royal stand.

Benrey’s feet moved without his will, and he looked down at Sir Freeman. He could still hear the cheering of the crowd at the knight’s kind sentiment, but his hearing felt muffled, and he knew that both he and Tommy were holding their breath. The crowd began to quiet as Benrey still said nothing, and he knew that he had to say something, anything.

“I’m going to need to see some identification.”

The entire arena went dead silent. Benrey swallowed and tried to keep his expression even. “Are you even supposed to be here?” He asked.

“Um… what?” Sir Freeman asked. “I… I was passing through the kingdom, and I heard about your upcoming wedding, and, well… I was offered a place to stay, and… yes. I… am supposed to be here.”

“Seems pretty fishy to me,” Benrey said. He knew Tommy would have stopped him by now if he weren’t completely frozen in shock. “How do I know that that rose isn’t gonna hurt me?”

“I… what?” Sir Freeman asked. “I don’t mean any disrespect, your majesty, but… what on earth are you talking about?”

“Take the damn flower,” Forzen hissed at Benrey, and Tommy finally snapped out of his trance enough to stomp on Benrey’s foot.

“Fine, I’ll take your stupid flower,” Benrey said as he carefully took the rose from Sir Freeman. When their hands touched, he felt a jolt of electricity run down his spine. “But I’m gonna have to keep an eye on you.”

Benrey was practically shoved back into his throne as Forzen and their advisors tried to play damage control. Tommy was racing down the stairs to the common stands before Benrey could so much as look at him. He carefully removed the dahlia from his hair and held it next to the rose.

He felt sick.

* * *

“It can’t be, it seriously can’t be them,” Benrey said. He watched as Tommy paced back and forth across the floor of his tower. The two of them had locked themselves in under the guise of a serious discussion on familiarity with staff. “There’s no way.”

“It is, i-it has to be,” Tommy replied. “I could, um… I could tell, from the m-moment that he stepped into the a-arena.”

“He?” Benrey asked.

“Yeah,” Tommy replied. “He. His n-name is Godon now.” He continued to pace, and Benrey slid to the floor. “W-What are we going to do?”

“I don’t know, but I know I fucked up big time,” Benrey said with a sigh. “Identification? What the hell was I thinking?!?”

“I-I don’t think you, um… I’m pretty sure you w-weren’t,” Tommy said, and if it were anyone else Benrey would have taken offense. But it was Tommy, and he was right, Benrey hadn’t even been able to think in the moment. “B-But that’s besides the p-point. There’s bigger fish t-to fry here.”

“Like what?” Benrey asked.

“He doesn’t remember you,” Tommy said. Benrey felt a chill run down his spine, so similar yet so different from the electricity earlier in the day. “H-He obviously wouldn’t remember me, m-my dad made sure of that, but… but he should remember you!”

“Maybe he did?” Benrey suggested, although his voice was weak. “I-I mean, it’s not like he could have said anything in the middle of the arena.”

“N-No, when I, um… when I spoke to him b-before anyone else had the chance t-to, he d-didn’t say anything about you. I tried to m-make him, but… nothing.”

“So his first impression of me is me asking for identification,” Benrey said. Tommy nodded as he finally stopped pacing. Benrey groaned and buried his face in his hands. “What am I supposed to do?”

“I-I don’t know.” Tommy sat beside Benrey, and pulled him close. Benrey pressed his face into Tommy’s chest and relaxed slightly at the kiss that was pressed to the crown of his head. “I should, um… I should contact m-my dad. He might know something about this.”

“Are you sure it’s the same person?” Benrey asked.

“Positive,” Tommy replied. “We’ve g-got to figure this out.”

They jumped apart when someone knocked on the door, and Tommy gave Benrey a crushing kiss when he remembered it was locked, before he appeared in front of the door to open it. Benrey was still reeling slightly from the suddenness of the kiss, but he couldn’t mistake the long brown hair or the orange attire after the tournament that day.

“I’m supposed to take the princess back to her chambers,” Gordon said.

“His,” both Benrey and Tommy corrected at the same time.

“Uh… okay, his chambers,” Gordon said.

Benrey slid down the banister, and he couldn’t help grinning at the slight fear in Gordon’s eyes. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Tommy,” he said. “We’re not done here.”

“N-Not by a long shot,” Tommy agreed. “G-Goodnight, your majesty.” He took Benrey’s hand to kiss his knuckles and bow. “And goodnight to you t-too, Sir Freeman.” Gordon just nodded to him, before he set off down the stairs.

Benrey waved to Tommy before he shut the door to the tower. Benrey followed behind Gordon for a little while, before he cleared his throat. “I, uh… I never saw that identification,” he said, slightly unsure of himself.

“I spoke with your husband, and he assured me I was not only welcome here, but I was…” Gordon trailed off. “...welcome here,” he finished lamely.

“He was probably all like 'bleh, you’re allowed to stay, bro, it’s cool. Plus you’re totally welcome and shit.’,” Benrey said, doing his purposefully horrible interpretation of Forzen. He grinned when Gordon couldn’t hold in a snort of laughter. “But seriously, I’m gonna need to see your identification.”

“What is your problem?” Gordon asked, exasperated. He froze up a moment later and began to stumble over apologies, but Benrey just bumped his shoulder with his own, and headed down an opposite hallway.

“You don’t even know where you’re going, dumbass,” he said. “Definitely need that identification.”

“Well how am I supposed to know where your chambers are?” Gordon asked as he trailed behind Benrey. Benrey bit his tongue and turned a corner quickly. “Are you trying to lose me?” Gordon asked as he had to break into a jog to catch up. Benrey continued walking at the same pace, but the castle around him began to move past him faster. “Dude, how are you doing that?” Benrey was happy to note that, while Gordon didn’t seem to know anything about him anymore, he was falling back into their friendly conversations easily. “Seriously, cut it out!”

Benrey came to a sudden stop outside his chambers, and he was expecting Gordon to come to a similar stop behind him, but Gordon bumped right into him, knocking him to the ground and tripping himself so he landed on top of Benrey, only his arms keeping him up. Gordon was blushing, hard, but Benrey just grinned at him. “Liking the view from here,” he said, and made a kissing sound. Gordon practically jumped off of him, and he cackled as he stood. “Goodnight, Sir Dumbass,” he said as he opened the doors to his chambers.

“U-Uh… goodnight, your majesty,” Gordon replied weakly.

Benrey fell against his bed, not even bothering to change. “Benny boy, you’re really in it now,” he mumbled to himself.


End file.
